The poeming has continued! Well, for all days except Day 18. I missed that one somehow, and in the spirit of the challenge, I did not go back and write something later. So, I’ll just end up with 29 poems this month instead of 30. Well, technically, 29 + 4 since I do have my poems that only my Patreon subscribers will receive this month (now closed).
WAIT! I will have 30 poems this month — I forgot, on “Two-fer Tuesday” (Day 16), I wrote two poems. They’re companion pieces to one another, and the first two poems in this particular blog post. Woot! As an added bonus, both of those poems are a new form for me – the Triolet. Guess that makes up for missing Day 18?
Oh, also, Day 17 was “National Haiku Day” and Day 23 was Shakespeare’s Birthday, so you’ll see a haiku + a sonnet in honor of both of those. Oh, and Day 22 was also a new-to-me form – the Treochair. Again, I’m having as much fun with form as possible this month!
As with my previous poems for this challenge (Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Days 7-9, Days 10-15), I have followed the prompts from Robert Lee Brewer’s Poetic Asides blog. Here is the next batch in my April Poem-A-Day collection:
A Catch (Day 16)
I catch his eye across the room
And sparks begin to fly.
Everything else fades as my attention zooms,
I catch his eye across the room.
I grab a canape (some sort of mushroom)
And smile as I wink my right eye.
I catch his eye across the room
And sparks begin to fly.
The Release (Day 16)
From a spark to a flame to embers gone cold
Here we are, once again, heading out all alone.
Too many fights, too many declarations untold,
From a spark to a flame to embers gone cold.
When you want to have a love that is daring and bold
Sometimes together isn’t better than on your own.
From a spark to a flame to embers gone cold
Here we are, once again, heading out all alone.
Reasons (Day 17)
I don’t need a reason
To want or do what I do.
You, love, are enough.
Artistic License (Day 19)
I stood
Arms full of paints
And brushes
And a canvas swung across my back.
The person behind me in line
Was singing a folksy tune
(if slightly off-key)
While strumming a ukulele.
And further back
A poet was poeting
A novelist noveling
And a screenwriter screenwritering.
The sculptors had
(Wisely)
Left their chisels at home,
But were armed with plenty of marble.
As the clock ticked towards 8:00,
For the office to open
So we could be granted
Our artistic license.
The Opposite of Dark (Day 20)
Somewhere in the shadows deep
As we rest and try to sleep
A noise, a stirring, or a creak
Cause our hearts to leap or break
As the darkness closes in
And we recount our every sin
Our eyes slowly adjust to it
Even without a lamp being lit
For the opposite of dark isn’t light
It’s knowing how to hone our sight.
Outlines (Day 21)
Don’t use a pen
Not yet
Pick up a pencil
And sketch.
You don’t need
All the details
Or colors
Or clarity.
Aim for an idea
And flesh it out
With scribbles and lines
Imperfect, but present.
Text Me (Day 22)
Text me back
Not when you get a chance to
Or if you pause for a snack.
Text me now
As soon as you hear the beep
Don’t act like you don’t know how.
Text me please
I am missing you today
A response gives me release.
Is Time Ever Free (Day 23)
When we take the time to sleep or to rest
Are we using up our only free time
Or are we using our time to the best
Of our ability for peace of mind?
Is the time we spend watching our T.V.
Lying on the couch to forget our cares
The opposite of productivity
Or the thing we need to keep us aware?
The time we take to clean or mow the lawn
Is time we cannot have with ones we love
But without these things, all balance is gone
And we lose our footing, grasping above.
But even if no time is ever free
It’s ours to spend in any way we need.
Complete Guide to Health & Fitness (Day 24)
The first step is to ignore
Everything you have been taught before
Whether Paleo or Keto or Low-Fat
We aren’t going to mess with any of that.
It’s not a war between cardio and weights
And don’t focus on how your butt will look on dates
Instead take a moment to really look in
For that is the place where you need to begin.
Forget all about mirrors and the scales
Stop comparing yourself to others’ tales
And take time to enjoy water and the sun
Eat lots of plants, and when you are done
Stretch out your muscles, get plenty of sleep
Don’t let negative thoughts burrow too deep
Enjoy falling in love, let yourself laugh
Maybe take time for a bubble bath
At the end of the day, you’re the only you
And this is the thing I guarantee to be true:
Take time and simple steps to care for yourself
That’s the all you need when it comes to fitness and health.
Lost At Sea (Day 25)
Exiled. Banished. Cast Away. There is no
X on a map to guide anyone to you now.
It seems the cruelest punishment of all, to be
Lost at sea, alone on an island, thrown to the wilderness.
Enveloped only in your own thoughts and comfort to keep from
Drowning in the loneliness, the vastness, the expanse.
Or…perhaps…in the most unexpected way, you find something of a
Release. Relief? You begin to relax.
For the sun is bright above you, and the sea glistens all around, and you
Roam, lighter than air, above the sands and below the fronds.
Exile, it turns out, might just be another word for
Escape.
Colette Marie Murphy 